Recently, analysis of human genes has been making progress. To date, not all the detailed information included in genes has been revealed yet. However, it is expected that when the analysis of human genes makes further progress and researches on relationships with diseases or diatheses are advanced, medical information, such as genetic diseases or diatheses, will become available with high reliability.
It is also expected that medical practices, such as prevention of genetic diseases or diseases linked to genetic abnormalities, treatments of these diseases, and preventive measures to delay the onsets of these diseases, will be carried out by using the analyzed genetic information (hereinafter, referred to as gene analysis information). In addition, genes include diathetic and physical information of an individual, and, therefore, utilization of such information in his/her daily life and health care is anticipated.
However, gene analysis information of an individual concerns his/her privacy, and permitting a third party to know the content thereof poses a serious problem in terms of privacy protection.
To protect privacy with regard to genes, there is a method of prohibiting a gene analyzing institution from leaking gene analysis information to any third party. The results of medical checkups or the like are generally managed by this method. According to this method, however, the institution conducting the gene analysis holds both the personal information, such as a name and an address, and the gene analysis information of an individual, which raises concern over possible information leakage. Also, this method has an unsolved problem that both the personal information and the gene analysis information are revealed to others even in a closed group of people. In other words, there remains a problem that particular people can identify an individual with respect to the gene analysis information. Hence, a user applied for the gene analysis may still fear that the privacy protection is not ensured.